Jumal Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran
Jumal Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran (born 31 October 1960) is the last heir apparent to the defunct throne of the Imperial State of Iran and is the current head of the exiled House of Pahlavi. He is the older son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi.Jumal is a genius mechanic as well as an accomplished jet fighter pilot. He has used his high profile status as an Iranian abroad to campaign politically for human rights, democracy, and unity among Iranians in Iran and outside it. thumb|Jumal Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran Biography Jumal Pahlavi was born 31 October 1960 in Tehran, Iran, as eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and Empress Farah Pahlavi. Jumal Pahlavi's siblings include his sister Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi (12 March 1963), brother Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi (28 April 1966 – 4 January 2011), and sister Princess Leila Pahlavi (27 March 1970 – 10 June 2001), as well as a half-sister, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi (27 October 1941). He left Iran at the age of 17 for air force training. He spent a year at Williams College, but was forced to leave because of the turmoil in Iran. With the monarchy overthrown and an Islamic Republic established, Jumal Pahlavi did not return immediately to Iran. He received a BSc degree by correspondence in political science from the University of Southern California, because Williams did not offer that option. A jet fighter pilot, Jumal Pahlavi completed the United States Air Force Training Program at the former Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas. In 1980, at the start of the Iran–Iraq War, Pahlavi, a highly-trained fighter pilot, wrote to General Valiollah Fallahi, Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic, offering to fight in the air force for Iran in the war. The offer was rebuffed.An Interview with Reza Pahlavi. Mideastnews.com. February 2002. Retrieved on 9 June 2012. With the death of his father on 27 July 1980, Jumal Pahlavi became the Head of the House of Pahlavi. Aerial Assault Prince Jumal was deposed by Ali, who took over his palace and allied himself with the Decepticons in order to conquer oil fields throughout the Middle East. Prince Jumal snuck back into Iran after the death of his father. Living on the streets, Jumal took on the name "Hassan" and started spying on Ali's activities — stealing jet fighter parts for Megatron's plane drones. Getting into one of Ali's trucks during one of the heists, Hassan met the disassembled Aerialbots Slingshot and Skydive, who were also investigating the plane thefts. Hassan helped repair the two Autobots, but couldn't find a replacement for Slingshot's weapons console, so he decided to infiltrate Megatron's "fortress" and steal one. The mission was a success, and he provided Slingshot with the missing part just in time for the Aerialbot to save himself from the fortress's grasping tentacles. After the day was saved and Ali was captured, Slingshot wondered if Prince Jumal would mind that Hassan used parts of his cars to repair the Aerialbots. Hassan then shocked everyone by revealing his true identity, and assured Slingshot that he didn't mind — after all, he liked fixing up "old junkers". Soon after, Jumal visited the Ark and was given a tour by Slingshot. MUX History After political prisoner Anwar Assan's release, the two formed a long-distance friendship, connecting on many issues involving human rights and government and religious reform in their region. In 2013, Jumal traveled to the UK to meet with recently-exiled Sheikh Saud, to offer his support and possible help with events transpiring in Trucial Abysmia. In March that year he met with Spike Witwicky to discuss the possibility of the Autobots helping free Anwar Assan. In 2015, Jumal visited Autobot City to inspect the conditions in which Dr. Arkeville was being held. He returned in 2017, although he had to contend with the Muslim ban to do so. In 2019, Jumal helped design the personality profile for Cerebros. Family Reza married Yasmine Etemad Amini on 12 June 1986. Yasmine, a graduate of the George Washington University School of Law, worked for ten years as a lawyer for the Children’s Law Center as a legal advocate for at-risk youth. Yasmine also founded the Foundation for the Children of Iran in 1991, a non-profit foundation that provides health care services to Iranian children or children of Iranian origin. Jumal Pahlavi and his wife Yasmine have three daughters: Noor (born 3 April 1992), Iman (born 12 September 1993), and Farah (born 17 January 2004). In 2004, Jumal Pahlavi was named as the "unofficial godfather"The Roman Catholic Church, the Church of the child being baptized, does not accept non-Catholics as godparents, given the religious nature of the role, so Pahlavi's role was downgraded to unofficial, not formal. of Princess Louise of Belgium the eighth granddaughter of King Albert II of Belgium. The decision to choose him was criticized by the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Business and Legal Issues Jumal Pahlavi is the owner of Medina Development Company, although it is unclear how this entity conducts business or where its revenues come from. He and his company were engaged in a civil lawsuit against a family member in the 90s culminating in a favorable judgment in May 1997.Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Alexandria. Claude M. Hilton, District Judge. (CA-95-1423-A, BK-93-11245). uscourts.gov (1997) Logs 2013 * March 11 - "Leaders in Exile" - Jumal and Sheikh Saud meet in England to talk. 2015 * May 08 - "Jetfire... Traitor?" - A large blast tears through Autobot City. Could Jetfire be behind it? 2016 * November 22 - "What Has Become of Casey Arkeville?" - Jumal comes to Autobot City to inquire to the fate of Dr. Arkeville. 2017 * December 8 - "Email from Jumal to Spike" - Jumal responds to Spike's frantic email. Politics Jumal Pahlavi has used his high profile status as an Iranian abroad to campaign politically for human rights, democracy, and unity among Iranians in Iran and outside it.Prinz Reza Pahlavi über den Iran: "Dieses Regime ist äußerst anti-religiös". (interview with Reza Pahlavi, in Geman) Zenit.org (31 March 2010). Retrieved on 9 June 2012. On his website he calls for a separation of religion and state in Iran and for free and fair elections "for all freedom-loving individuals and political ideologies". He exhorts all groups dedicated to a democratic agenda to work together for a democratic and secular Iranian government.Reza Pahlavi. The Challenge Of Implementing Democracy And Human Rights In Iran. The International Society Of Human Rights – Bonn, Germany, 27 March 2010. Rezapahlavi.com According to Reza Bayegan, Prince Pahlavi believes in the separation of religion from politics. However, Pahlavi avoids the "Islam bashing" that Bayegan writes occurs in some circles of the Iranian opposition. Rather, he believes that religion has a humanizing and ethical role in shaping individual character and infusing society with greater purpose. Pahlavi wrote in his book, Winds of Change:Pahlavi, Winds of Change, pp. 26–28 Pahlavi has used media appearances to urge Iran's theocratic government to accept a referendum that uses independently verifiable international standards and observation mechanisms.BBC Radio Reza Pahlavi interview Reza Pahlavi interview He has also urged Iranians to engage in a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience, starting with non-participation in elections of the Islamic republic (elections he views as undemocratic), followed by peaceful demonstrations and strikes. He is, however, an outspoken opponent of any foreign military intervention for regime change in Iran,Reza Pahlavi interview believing that the people of Iran alone have the power to bring about change in their governmental system and society. Human rights On 27 March 2010, Jumal Pahlavi was invited by the International Society of Human Rights in Bonn, Germany, to speak on the challenge of implementing democracy and human rights in Iran; a sample excerpt from this speech follows:The Challenge Of Implementing Democracy And Human Rights In Iran. Rezapahlavi.com (27 March 2010). Retrieved on 9 June 2012. Other samples of his speeches are in the External Links below. 2011 comments In February 2011, Pahlavi said after violence erupted in Tehran that Iran’s youth were determined to get rid of an authoritarian government tainted by corruption and misrule in the hope of installing a democracy. “Fundamental and necessary change is long overdue for our region and we have a whole generation of young Egyptian and Iranians not willing to take no for an answer,” Pahlavi told the Daily Telegraph "Democratisation is now an imperative that cannot be denied. It is only a matter of time before the whole region can transform itself."Iran's Crown Prince calls on West to support anti-government protests. Telegraph. 16 February 2011. Retrieved on 9 June 2012. Monarchy Following in a line of Persian dynasties stretching back 3000 years, the Pahlavi dynasty was founded early in the twentieth century. The revolution of 1979 led to the replacement of the Persian constitutional monarchy (de facto absolute monarchy) with an Islamic republic. Although he currently lives in exile, Pahlavi is still regarded by some Iranians as the current Shah of Iran. After the death of his father, Mohammad-Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Pahlavi symbolically declared himself Shāhanshāh (Literally, King of Kings in Persian) at the age of 21, but now his press releases refer to him as either "Jumal Reza Pahlavi" or "the former Crown Prince of Iran". Succession Succession is theoretical, as the Iranian monarchy was abolished with the Islamic Constitution in Iran in 1980. He is the current pretender in the succession line to his late father and Ali Patrick Pahlavi is the second in line. Titles and styles * His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince of Iran (1960–1979) * His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Jumal of Iran (pretender, 1979–present) * Jumal Reza Pahlavi (commoner name, 1979–present) Notes *"Jumal" seems to be a misspelled (sort of...) rendition of the name otherwise spelled "Jamal" (جمال Jamāl). It translates to "beauty" or "grace". *"Hassan" (حسن Ḥasan) is a common Arabic name. It translates to "handsome" or "well-appearing". *Whoever assigned the Prince's names in the script must've thought very highly of his looks... Foreign names *''Japanese:'' Jumal-ōji (ジュマル王子 Jumaru-ōji, "Prince Jumal"), Hassan (ハッサン) Publications *Reza Pahlavi, IRAN: L’Heure du Choix The Deciding Hour (Denoël, 2009)IRAN l'heure du choix. Amazon.fr. ISBN 2207261034. Retrieved on 9 June 2012. *Reza Pahlavi, Winds of Change: The Future of Democracy in Iran, Regnery Publishing Inc., 2002, ISBN 0-89526-191-X. *Reza Pahlavi, Gozashteh va Ayandeh, London: Kayham Publishing, 2000.Reza Pahlavi´s Web site. Rezapahlavi.org. Retrieved on 9 June 2012. Footnotes External links *Reza Pahlavi's Website *Persian Prince Reza Pahlavi